Steelmaking plant having a mobile, straddle carriage converter support



NOV. 19, 1968 Q F ET Al. 3,411,764

STEELMAKING PLANT HAVING A MOBILE, STRADDLE CARRIAGE CONVERTER SUPPORT 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 1'7, 1966 LO (Q o P 0 go 0 INVENTORS. Martin C. Fa/k Joseph CuginLJr. BY Roberta-Van Tassel JMJ/CWM THE IR A TTORNEYS Nov. 19, 1968 M. c. FALK ET AL STEELMAKING PLANT HAVING A MOBILE, STRADDLE CARRIAGE CONVERTER SUPPORT Filed Feb. 1'7, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 O 8 U a W m .ln 5 mm u INVENTORS. Martin C. F 0/1: Joseph CuginLJr.

BY Robermvan Tassel THE /R A TTORNEYS Nov. 19, 1968 M Q FALK ET AL 3,411,764

STEELMAKING PLANT HAVING A MOBILE, STRADDLE CARRIAGE CONVERTER SUPPORT 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 17, 1966 INVENTORS. Martin 6. Fall: Joseph CuginL BY Robert/Wan Tassel THE/R ATTORNEYS M. c. FALK ET AL 3,411,764 STEELMAKING PLANT HAVING A MOBILE, STRADDLE TER SUPPORT Filed Feb. 17, 1966 Nov. 19, 1968 CARRIAGE CONVER 4 SheetsSheec 4 INVENTORS.

THE/l? ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,411,764 STEELMAKING PLANT HAVING A M0- BILE, STRADDLE CARRIAGE CONVERT- ER SUPPORT Martin C. Falk, Pittsburgh, and Joseph Cugini, Jr., and Robert M. Van Tassel, New Castle, Pa., assignors to Pennsylvania Engineering Corporation, New Castle, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 528,138 6 Claims. (Cl. 266-13) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A heavy-duty self-propelled, positioning and operating carriage or machine of a straddle frame construction has paneled side legs provided with bearing stands to rotatably-receive opposed trunnion shafts of an upright operating type of an oxygen blow furnace converter vessel. The side legs are connected by overhead, upwardly-offset, bridging paneled truss framing to define a central open area within which the converter vessel is suspended. Transversely spaced-apart and longitudinally-extending floor-mounted track or rail member pairs define a wide, centrally-open work area therebetween which represents working area spacing between the side legs of the machine. Each side panel leg has wheeled truck adjacent its front and back ends for cooperating with and riding back and forth on and along the track member pairs. Each truck has a reversible electric motor drive that is unitized in its operation with respect to motor drives of the other trucks to provide a coordinated back and forth movement of the machine on the track members.

A furnace operating plant layout has vessel operating stations along the track members in the transverse working area or spacing therebetween to provide for full and complete operational utilization of the converter vessel, including its cleaning and repair. A pair of such stations are additionally provided with transversely-extending side bays for handling the charging materials and for handling the melted and refined metal processed by the vessel.

This invention relates to a steel making furnace installation and particularly, to an installation utilizing a converter or furnace vessel for the making of steel. A phase of our invention relates to a plant layout for facilitating the production of metal, utilizing a converter vessel. Another phase of our invention relates to a mobile furnace vessel iiistallation in which various operations may be accomplished by operatively-carrying and moving a melting and refining vessel along a track.

A further phase of our invention relates to a mobile furnace converter vessel operating unit for movement along a plant and for tilting operation of a converter vessel thereon.

Since the introduction of oxygen blowing in this country, converter vessels or furnaces have come into extensive use and have been progressively increased in size from early furnaces of 25 to 50 tons up to 300 and 500 tons capacity and more. For facilitating the charging of such a furnace vessel and the pouring of the molten metal and slag therefrom, it has been customary to mount the vessel on trunnion bearing stands, so that it is rotatable, for example, from an upright metal-melting and refining position, to tilted charging and pouring, and to inverted slag discharging positions. A vessel mounting may also be employed that will facilitate relining, repair or maintenance.

In the utilization of furnace vessels, there has been a need for conserving plant space and for better coordinat ing and simplifying operations encountered in their em- 3,411,764 Patented Nov. 19, 1968 ice ployment. Within recent years, improvements have been made in driving means for a furnace vessel to allow for coincidental axial movement of its shaft means during temperature variations encountered and also for controlling movement of an associated gear housing. See the Lakin et al. US. Patent No. 3,207,002.

The need at the present time is for making such a vessel mobile, in order that it may be moved from station to station in accomplishing various steps of its utilization, and to facilitate a cooperative utilization of a pair or group of furnace vessels in an aligned relation. This should be accomplished in such a manner that the vessels may be operated and serviced in centrally-defined work areas and from side and overhead-positioned equipment, and that the operation of a group of vessels may be coordinated, so that one vessel may be at one servicing station while the other is at another. In this manner, plant space may be saved and a maximum and an efiicient uti lization may be made of charging, firing and other equipment located at a progression of servicing stations.

It has thus been an object of our invention to devise a new and improved plant installation or system which will make practical the mobile utilization of a converter ves sel;

Another object of our invention has been to develop mobile apparatus for carrying a furnace vessel from one servicing station to another which will enable the vessel to be employed at each station in accordance with requirements thereof;

A further object has been to develop an in-line operation of furnace vessels in which various required operations may be progressively or selectively accomplished in a step by step manner, while providing the vessel with full flexibility in its utilization;

A still further object has been to provide an operating layout, system or plant installation which will make practical the utilization of a plurality or group of longitudinal moving lines of furnace vessels that may be serviced by equipment along and as well as within such lines, and without the operation of one vessel adversely effecting the operation of another;

A still further object has been to provide a mobile furnace apparatus or operating unit which may have its own driving means and controls for moving it from one station to another and for also operating or tilting the furnace at various stations in accordance with metal processing procedure;

These and many other objects will appear to those skilled in the art from the illustrated embodiment, the description and the claims.

In the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a side view in elevation showing a plant system or installation embodying the principles of our invention; this is a greatly reduced and somewhat diagrammatic view;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the installation of FIGURE 1 which has been further reduced in scale, particularly as to its longitudinal operating line;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric or perspective view in elevation on an enlarged scale with respect to FIGURES 1 and 2 and illustrating a mobile, straddling or bridging, vessel-carrying apparatus, frame structure or carriage of our invention;

FIGURE 3A is an enlarged fragmental plan view illustrating suitable drive means for turning, rotating, or tilting the furnace vessel carried by the apparatus of FIG- URE 3:

FIGURE 3B is a circuit diagram illustrating suitable electric connections for energizing or driving motors carried by trucks of the apparatus of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 4 is an end view in elevation on substantially the same scale as FIGURE 3, showing the apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 3 at a furnace vessel relining station, indicated as E of FIGURE 1.

tween the stations, ner on a mobile apparatus, machine, carriage or frame structure 45. As shown particularly in FIGURE 2, a dual operating group or plurality of adjacently-positioned, longitudinal, operating lines 11 and 12 may be provided. Station A represents a preliminary station at which, for example, the vessel 25 may be completely inverted as shown in FIGURE 1 and preheated. Station B represents a charging station which is in alignment with a side or transversely-positioned plant bay F having a transverse scrap box storage line 14 and a hot metal ladle line 15.

hot metal that is to be melted and refined therein.

As shown in FIGURE 1, scrap boxes 62 may be taken from the line 14 by a conventional overhead crane 60 and charged into the furnace vessel 25 at station B by utilization of its hoist means 60a and 6012. It will be noted that the crane 60 is adapted to be moved along an overhead track that is positioned on a pair of transversely-extending, upright, side-positioned support frame 61. The same arrangement is employed at station D for crane 70 and its support frames 71. charge has been introduced from filled boxes 62; then may then be charged in operating line 12 after, for example, the mobile apparatus 45 of line 11 has been moved from station B to stations Cor D.

Slag in the vessel 25 may be either discharged at station A, for example, into a pit between side pairs of track rails 51 of the lines 11 and 12, or into a slag pot 80 carried by a slag car 81, at either station A or station B (as shown applied to station B in FIGURE 2). See also the slag car and track illustrated in FIGURE 3a of the McFeaters Patent No. 3,026,102. As will be noted in FIGURE 2, slag car 81 is adapted to be moved transversely on a side or transverse track 82. In this manner, the slag as collected may be discharged into a dump at one side of the plant layout.

After one vessel 25 has been provided with a suitable station C. This station may be termed an additive-adding, and blowing or refining station. Referring particularly to FIGURE 1, we have shown a group of additive storage bins 67a, 67b, and 67c which are adapted to discharge their contents into a feed chute silica, alloying materials, etc.

The refining operation is started by inserting an oxygen lance through a side opening in the hood 65, through the open mouth of and down into the vessel 25. The efiiuent or hot and through an intermediate duct section 65a, into an exhaust chimney or duct 65b. McFeaters Patents Nos. 3,026,102, 2,862,701,

may be employed at station C for melting and refining the metal within the vessel 25.

it to station D which, as shown particularly in FIGURE 1, is a pouring station for the molten metal. At this sta tion, the vessel 25 may be tilted so as to align its mouth portion or its side pouring spout 2512 with a teeming ladle position between track or rail pairs 51 by hoist means a of the conventional overhead crane 70 which operates transversely from within a side-positioned or transverse,

shown carrying a ladle 73 17 for progressively filling ES 1 and 2, the

ing spout; a second gantry car 77 is shown on the track line 20 ready to receive a teeming ladle.

After the vessel 25 has been such carriage to station E at which any necessary cleaning, maintenance, or relining of the vessel may be accomplished. In this connection,

is mounted about the outer metal casing thereof by means of brackets 27. The trunnion ring 26 is provided with a pair of opposed trunnion shafts or portions 28 and 28'. One shaft portion 28 is adapted to be carried on an upright stand 29 by a bearing made up 31. The other trunare cuswith bolted-together flanges. mounting and construction may nion shaft portions.

The left-hand shaft or portion 28 of FIGURE 4 is shown as driven for turning or rotating the vessel 25. For this purpose, a bull gear 35 is secured on the shaft 28 and is enclosed by a housing 36 which is rotatably carried on the shaft. The bull gear 35 may be driven in a manner illustrated by the Lakin et al. Patents Nos. 3,197,187 and 3,207,002 and also be provided with snubbing and turning movement resisting means, such as illustrated particularly in the second patent.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 3 and 3A, we have shown quadrant-located driving means for the bull gear 35, each of which has an electric motor 41 and a motor drive shaft 41a connected through a coupling to the input of a gear reduction unit 40. A drive shaft 38 is shown connected to the output of the gear reduction unit 40 and through a flexible coupling 39 to a drive shaft 38a on which a drive pinion 37 is secured. It will be noted that the shaft 38a is journaled within the housing 36 and that its drive pinion 37 meshes with the driven bull gear 35.

The stands 29 and 29', as well as the driving mechanism for the converter vessel 25 are all securely positioned on the inverted U-shaped frame structure, carriage, mobile vehicle or apparatus, generally designated as 45. The structure 45 may be termed a straddle frame, in that it has opposed, spaced-apart, side legs that carry trucks 50 and that are connected by an overhead bridge or arch to define a central work area therebetween. The converter vessel 25 is suspended or carried in substantial alignment with and above the work area for tilting movement.

The mobile carriage or frame structure 45, as shown particularly in FIGURES 3 and 4, is of heavy reinforced construction, having side box and dual end framing members to straddle or bridge transverse spacing between track or rail pairs 51, so as to provide a central open space or working area for the operation of the converter; it is, in effect, a truss bridging structure made up in sections or paneled reinforced portions; it is mounted on side truck 50 to provide a strong, unitary, longitudinally movable carriage frame within which the vessel 25 may be turned or rotated, as desired. In the illustrated embodiment, we have shown eight platform type drive trucks 50 for the mobile carriage 45, or four to each side. Each truck 50 has a pair of flanged wheels on each side thereof that are adapted to engage associated rail pairs 51. We prefer to provide actuating or motor means for at least one axle shaft of each truck 50. Such a drive mechanism is illustrated particularly in FIGURE 4 and may be of a type and mounting such as illustrated in McFeaters et al. Patent No. 3,107,797.

FIGURE 3B illustrates a suitable circuit diagram for actuating motors 57 of each of the eight trucks 50. The motors 57 are connected in parallel to a source of current through a control rheostat R, so that they will be given the same force actuation and operate together. As shown in FIGURE 4, each motor 57 is adapted to drive an axle shaft of an associated truck 50 through a speed reduction unit 58. Various operating and reversing controls, switches, etc. for actuating the truck motors 57 and the drive motors 41 for the converter 25 may be provided on a control panel within a cab or pulpit 55 of an upper working platform 53 of the carriage 45. As a result, an operator may at all times control full longitudinal movement of the carriage 45 as well as the rotation of the vessel 25 from the pulpit 55, thus making the unit fully unitized or independent as to its operation. Incidentally, drive motors 41 as well as the motors 57 are of a reversible type, such that the converter 25 can be turned in either direction and the carriage 45 can be moved back and forth along its track rails 51.

With reference to the relining of the vessel 25, a suitable transfer dolly may be employed to handle its metal shell after it is lowered from its trunnion ring 26. By manuevering the old and the new shells with a transfer dolly, the vessel 25 can be provided with a newly relined shell so that the operations can continue. However, in the system shown in FIGURE 1, since the relining station is located at the end of the operating aisle (see FIGURE 4), the transfer dolly can be eliminated.

As shown particularly in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, the carriage 45 is constructed to facilitate movement of an operator to check the equipment, and better control the various operations. In this connection, it will be noted that it has a lower level working platform 52 along its intermediate frame portion 48 and an'upper working platform 53, both of which are provided with safety rails as well as with a connecting access stairway 54. The stairway 54 leads to the opening in the doorway of the operating pulpit or cab 55.

Although for the purpose of illustrating our invention, we have shown a particular embodiment thereof and although it is especially applicable to the melting and refining of steel or in carrying out steel processing, it'will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made in the illustrated apparatus, and that the apparatus may be utilized in connection with other types of operations without departing from its spirit and scope as indicated by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a self-propelled positioning and operating machine for a furnace converter vessel having a pair of trunnion shafts, wherein the machine is to be moved forwardly and backwardly along transversely spacedapart longitudinally-extending floor-mounted track members, and wherein the track members define a working area therealong transversely therebetween, a straddle frame of inverted U-shape having a pair of opposed paneled side legs connected by an upwardly-offset overhead bridging paneled truss and defining a centrally-open converter vessel receiving area, a pair of bearing stands of which one is mountedon one of said side legs and the other of which is mounted on the other of said side legs for rotatably-receiving the pair of trunnion shafts, motor drive means on said frame operatively-connected to at least one of the trunnion shafts for rotating the vessel within the centrally-open area, wheeled truck means mounted on said side legs for movement along the track members, and reversible electric motor and drive means on said wheeled truck means and operatively-connected for positively actuating said truck means for backward and forward movement along the track members.

2. In a machine as defined in claim 1, said wheeled truck means having wheeled trucks mounted adjacent front and back end portions of each of said side legs, said reversible electric motor and drive means having a reversibleelectric motor mounted on each ofjsaid trucks, and means operatively-associated with said reversible electric motors for energizing them in the same direction and together and for moving the machine longitudinally on and along the track members.

3. In a machine as defined in claim 2, two pairs of trucks mounted on each of said side legs adjacent front and back ends thereof, a reversible motor and drive means being operatively mounted on each of said wheeled trucks for moving them forwardly and 'backwardly along the track members, and said means for energizing said reversible electric motors in the same direction and together comprises parallel electric connections to said reversible electric motors.

4. In a steel plant operating system for an upright oxygen-blow melting and refining furnace converter vessel having opposed trunnion shafts defining an axis of support therefor, transversely spaced-apart rails positioned longitudinally along a plant floor and defining a central working area therealong between its spaced-apart members, a mobile machine for forward and backward movement on and along said rails, said machine being of a paneled frame structure of inverted U-shape viewed endwise thereof and having opposed side legs and a connecting transversely-extending upwardly-offset bridging truss between said side legs, wheeled trucks on and along said side legs to engage said rails for moving said machine longitudinally therealong, a pair of opposed bearing stands on said side legs to receive the opposed trunnion shafts and tiltably-position the vessel with its axis of support extending transversely of said rails and across the central working area therebetween, a series of vessel processing stations in a longitudinally-spaced relation along the central working area of said rails, and motor means on said machine for moving it forwardly and backwardly on said rails between said stations and for tilting 10 said vessel on its axis of support between said bearing stands.

5. In a steel plant operating system as defined in claim 4, said series of stations comprising, station, a vessel charging station, a metal melting and refining station, a metal pouring station, and a vessel maintenance station in longitudinal series progression.

6. In a steel plant operating system as defined in claim 4, a pair of operating bays positioned at at least two of the processing stations to extend transversely from one side of said rails, a first one of said bays having means for charging the vessel and a succeeding second bay hava vessel preheating References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1929 Crist. 6/1889 Lindenthal 266-13 1/1894 Ford 266-13 4/1902 Behrend 266 35 12/1954 Wright et a1. 26913 8/1957 McFeaters 26635 XR 12/1961 Sayre et a1. 26636 9/1964 Brooke 266-13 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1958 Germany. 4/1955 France.

1877 Great Britain.

20 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. S. ANNEAR, Assistant Examiner. 

